Liberation: The Bitter Road to Freedom, Europe 1945-1950

Liberation: The Bitter Road to Freedom, Europe 1945-1950

$15.00 AUD

Availability: in stock at our Tullamarine warehouse

Condition: SECONDHAND

NB: This is a secondhand book in very good condition. See our FAQs for more information. Please note that the jacket image is indicative only. A description of our secondhand books is not always available. Please contact us if you have a question about this title.

Author: William Hitchcock

Format: Hardback

Number of Pages: 464


The traditional image of Europe in 1945 is of grateful civilians showering soldiers with flowers and dancing in the streets. In reality, liberation was an extraordinarily violent and chaotic process. Using first-hand accounts, Hitchcock describes the catastrophic effects of invasion on Northern France, Belgium and Holland: huge civilian death tolls from indiscriminate bombing, towns destroyed, crops burnt. He shows that the motives and behaviour of the Allied forces were far from noble: they frequently abused power and authority, looted homes and sexually assaulted women. Hitchcock also writes about the discovery of the major concentration camps, notably Bergen-Belsen and Buchenwald, and the often shocking lack of empathy shown by its liberators. Lucid and compelling, William Hitchcock's account fully explores the paradoxes of 'the good war', its glories and its horrific human costs.
Format: Secondhand, Hardback


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Description
NB: This is a secondhand book in very good condition. See our FAQs for more information. Please note that the jacket image is indicative only. A description of our secondhand books is not always available. Please contact us if you have a question about this title.

Author: William Hitchcock

Format: Hardback

Number of Pages: 464


The traditional image of Europe in 1945 is of grateful civilians showering soldiers with flowers and dancing in the streets. In reality, liberation was an extraordinarily violent and chaotic process. Using first-hand accounts, Hitchcock describes the catastrophic effects of invasion on Northern France, Belgium and Holland: huge civilian death tolls from indiscriminate bombing, towns destroyed, crops burnt. He shows that the motives and behaviour of the Allied forces were far from noble: they frequently abused power and authority, looted homes and sexually assaulted women. Hitchcock also writes about the discovery of the major concentration camps, notably Bergen-Belsen and Buchenwald, and the often shocking lack of empathy shown by its liberators. Lucid and compelling, William Hitchcock's account fully explores the paradoxes of 'the good war', its glories and its horrific human costs.